Pokémon: The Final Evolution
by Xander867
Summary: Shy yet powerful trainer Serena moves to the Kalos Region and hopes for once in her life to feel normal. Her uniqueness makes other envious of her, some may even fear her, but there are a few in Kalos who will accept her for who she is and journey with her in order to save Kalos. And between it all, she and her lifelong partner will unlock the path that goes beyond Mega Evolution.
1. I'm Serena

A ray from the glimmering morning sun crept through the curtains as Fletchlings and Pidgeys did there morning calls.

Perfectly content with pretending to be asleep, Serena turned away from the rays of sunlight and buried her face in a pillow. But her life-long partner would have none of that.

The pillow vanished from beneath her face and she flipped out of her bed. Her backside hit the wood floor with an audible thump.

"Ouch." She grumbled, not really feeling anything in her dazed state. "That wasn't very nice Lucario."

Standing there, clutching the ceased pillow, Lucario snorted a retort which only she can decipher as speech.

"I know you really want to come with me to the new school but…" Serena tried to find the right words as she corrected her hair and smoothed down her pajamas. "Maybe we should wait a bit before I take you along."

Lucario grumbled hotly and put a pawed foot into the floor, making the whole room jump.

"I know they have Pokémon battles there but it would be completely unfair if we ever battled." Serena sighed. "Also, I would really like it if everyone didn't envy us. You remember how it was back in Canalave."

Refusing to back down, Lucario growled out an argument.

Serena sat down on her disorganized bed and looked into Lucario's eyes. In a flash their aura's linked and all of her Pokémon's feeling could be felt.

She nodded and petted the stubborn Pokémon on the head. "Alright you," She said cheerfully. "You can come, but I won't promise we'll get into any battles. Okay?"

Lucario howled in excitement and Serena had to hush the Pokémon before the sleeping neighbors got disturbed by the thunderous noise. Lucario dashed to the other side of the room and came back with three Poké Balls.

"Oh no you don't, you are enough to handle as it is. I can't possibly bring the others."

Lucario was about to fire up another argument but Serena stopped that with a firmly raised palm.

She sighed. "Alright, I get it." She was hoping to avoid attention on her first day. Bringing all of her Pokémon almost puts that hope out of her mind.

Lucario gave her a toothy smile and put the Poké Balls on the nightstand. Serena changed into something a bit nicer than her usual day attire because she wanted to make a good first impression with the other students and not the other way around. She slipped on a light black dress with the skirt going down past the knees, a large white bow on the lower back which kept the garment tight around her waist, and a cute white collar that accented her petite neck.

Looking into a floor length mirror with glimmering blue-grey eyes, she admired the dress and reminded herself to thank her mom for getting it for her. She decided to brush her dark blonde hair in a way so that a little was on the front of both shoulders with the rest straightened in the back with nothing covering up her forehead.

"Well," She said turning to Lucario, who was patiently waiting to leave. "Do I look normal or what?"

Lucario gave her a roll of the eyes.

"Well excuse me for wanting to fit in for once." She huffed and turned back to the mirror. She did a quick twirl and liked how she looked. She nodded at herself confidently.

Scooping two of the Poké Balls into her white striped bag, she turned to Lucario with the third.

"Promise me you won't act out anything, okay?"

Lucario nodded as she sensed the Pokémon's excitement.

"Return," Lucario zipped into the Poké Ball and she slipped it into her bag.

Down in the kitchen, Grace, a veteran Poké racer and mother, looked up to see her darling child come downstairs.

"Stylish as always dear," Grace flashed a warm smile. "You're definitely going to catch a few eyes with that on."

Serena blushed a bit. "I'm not looking for attention, just acceptance." She muttered.

"There's nothing wrong with sticking out honey. If anything it'll make you even more unique."

The younger took a seat at the kitchen counter where her mother's Fletchling was happily sipping away at freshly squeezed nectar. "You say that now, but remember how it was with me and the other kids back in Sinnoh?"

"Oh they were just jealous. Everyone can be like that when they are young." Grace waved away at Serena's worries.

The girl flattened her hands on the counter. "But that's exactly what I don't want. I want to fit in and know what it's like to be a normal kid for once."

Grace put down her cooking utensils and gave her daughter a reassuring look. "There nothing wrong with being yourself. Don't let anyone else make you feel differently."

Serena looked down and petted the Fletchling. "I know mom, but just for today, you know, I want to experience what it's like to not stick out."

"I guess there's nothing wrong with that." Grace commented and put a breakfast sandwich down in front of her twelve year old daughter. "Just don't try too hard to be something you're not."

She silently nodded…

* * *

"I'm off!" Serena called from the front door as she pulled on her freshly polished black slippers. The shine on them was enough to catch the sun's rays.

"Have fun on your first day!" Grace called back from the kitchen. "Best wishes!"

There modest home in Viniville Town was a welcome change from the rocky shores of Canalave City. Viniville was also a modest town in itself, surrounded by forest to one side and a large lake to the other. It was so small in fact that any children going to school had to take a short walk to the next town over.

Sleeping in a small hut in front of her house was her mother's prized racing Rhyhorn. It greeted her with a warm grunt.

"I'm off Rhyhorn, wish me luck." She said and patted the Pokémon's rock-solid head.

Rhyhorn got excited and tried to give Serena a heavy hug by jumping back onto its hind legs.

"Wait, Rhyhorn! Not on my dress!" She put up her arms and kept all two hundred and fifty pounds of Rhyhorn at bay. The Pokémon just wouldn't listen. "No, get down you!"

From beyond the fence of the front yard a boy stood, looking at the girl he saw who was actually able to keep a full grown Rhyhorn off her. "Umm, excuse me?"

A chill ran down Serena's spine as she turned to see a boy of her age, wearing a blue jack, brown baggy pants and a shoulder bag, starring at her with a slanted head.

"Do you need some help?" The boy asked.

Red shot into her cheeks and she immediately threw Rhyhorn off her. The Pokémon landed and rolled off its back then prepared to try to give her another hug but a sharp stare from her told it to do otherwise.

"Nope, everything is fine. Just perfectly fine." She said with a forced smile as she quickly patted down her dress. "You know how Rhyhorn's can get sometimes."

"Actually I don't." He responded. "That's the first one I've ever seen."

"Oh… okay." Words tend to escape when suddenly meeting anyone of her peer group. "So umm… you are who exactly?"

"My names Calem," He said with a chuckle. "You know, your next-door neighbor."

A lightning bolt struck her. How could she have forgotten her mother mentioning the house next door had a boy of her age living there and that he and she would be going to the same school?

"Oh, yeah, that's right." She said scratching the back of her head. "You're my neighbor, right…"

Calem waited for Serena to come out from the yard and they proceeded down the old bricked road towards Aquacorde Town.

"You know, you're pretty strong." Calem said out of nowhere.

Serena jumped at the sudden question. "What?" She said nervously, hoping he didn't think she was weird already.

He shrugged and folded his arms behind his head of neatly combed dark grey hair. "I was just wondering how heavy that Rhyhorn must be considering it's a rock-type."

"Rock and ground-type actually," Serena corrected him without thinking. "But-but yeah, he is pretty heavy and… stuff…"

"That leaves me thinking you must do some intense training with your Pokémon." Calem said.

"Rhyhorn is my mom's Pokémon." Serena said. "He's an old racing Pokémon from back when my mom competed."

"Your mom was a Poké Racer? How cool," He then looked at her inquisitively. "What about your Pokémon?"

Another lightning bolt went through her. "My what?"

He grinned. "You're Pokémon. You must have at least one. I bet you the whole neighborhood must've heard the howling coming from your house earlier.

And there went a third lightning bolt. Not five minutes out of the house and Lucario was already getting her in deep mud.

"Oh… everyone actually heard that…"

So much red went into her face as she looked at the ground that Calem was expecting steam to come out of the strange girl's ears any second. But there was certainly nothing wrong with being different.

"Yup, and I'm curious as to what Pokémon it is. It sounded powerful." Calem said.

Face still red Serena said. "Umm, well it's a…"

Lucarios are an incredibly rare and powerful species of Pokémon. If rumor got out that she had one, every kid in the school would ask her to battle. She couldn't handle that, not on the first day of a fresh start.

Calem could see her nervousness and smiled. "On second thought, don't tell me. I want to be surprised when we have our first battle together."

"Us? Battle?" Serena looked at him. "I'm not…"

"It can be just the two of us, no one else watching, what do ya say?" He pressed on.

She stared at the ground for a long while and Calem didn't bother her further. They just walked in silence.

When they came up to Aquacorde High, their school, Serena finally said. "I'll think about it."

Calem turned to her with a warm smile. "As long as you consider it, I'm happy." He walked off towards the school. "We can meet up during lunch break in the courtyard okay?" He said waving behind him.

"Umm, yeah… sure…" She barely waved back. Not entirely sure if her first day was blown or not. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a battle with him. No one else would see. It would be just the two of them… alone… together…

She shook her head to get the red out and proceeded to her new homeroom class…

* * *

The class was nearly full when she slid the door open and stepped in. Everyone was chattering amongst their circles of friends and paid little attention to her. It was a good start.

"Hey Serena, over here!" A voice called out to her from across the room. Sitting in a desk next to a large open window was Calem, of all people, waving at her.

Serena gulped as Calem's friends all turned to look at her.

"Hey Calem who's she?" An energetic girl said not so subtly. "Is she your new girlfriend~"

"Don't tease Shauna. She's just my new neighbor." Calem said coolly, deflecting Shauna's habit of teasing others.

Serena approached the group of four slowly. "Hi," She greeted, not so confidently.

"Looks like we'll be in the same homeroom class for the remainder of the year," Calem looked at his friends. "Everyone, this is Serena, my neighbor. Serena these are–"

"Hold it!" Shauna blurted out. "I'm the one who does all the introductions here!"

Calem sunk down into his seat, covering his ears. "If you talked any louder people might think you're a Loudred."

"If I could be a Pokémon, I would but that's not the point here." She put one foot on the seat of an empty desk and stuck a thumb to her chest. "As you may already know, I'm Shauna." She said to Serena. "By the way, I love your dress! It's so cute! Not as cute as my Lil' Chespin that is,"

She then pointed to another boy in the group. He was tall and had a wide girth with short legs and long arms. "This crazy dance machine over here is Tierno. He's an expert when it comes to making his Pokémon move."

The big guy scratched the back of his head. "I can't deny it. I love to dance with my Pokémon! Nice to meet cha'."

Shauna turned and grabbed the last of Calem's friends and made him face Serena directly. "And this lil' one is Trevor. He's so smart that he's going to be graduating with us all even though he only just turned ten."

"I'm not little. I just haven't grown a whole lot yet." Trevor grumbled under Shauna's hold. He was defiantly the shortest of the group with bright red hair and glasses. On his desk, where Shauna had grabbed him from, were stacks of textbooks all on the subject of Pokémon types and Pokémon battles.

"Umm, nice to meet you too," Trevor said as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"It's very nice to meet all of you." Serena said, feeling a bit better now that she knew their names.

She took up the empty desk right behind Shauna's and directly across from Calem's with Trevor and Tierno sitting right behind them.

Shauna plopped down into her seat and immediately spun around to face Serena.

"So," She quipped. "What kind of Pokémon do you have?"

"Umm…" Serena began nervously, words evading her yet again.

"Come on~," Shauna quipped again. "You've got to have some Pokémon. Are they strong? Oh, are they fast? No wait, wait, are they supper supper cute?!"

Calem spoke up. "Easy Shauna, she'll tell you if she wants to."

Shauna turned to Calem, starred, than snapped back to Shauna. "Oh I see! You two must be secretly training together or something." She leaned towards the other. "You two will make such a cute couple~"

Serena was wondering if she had just been hit by a Horn Drill or she was just embarrassed at the accusations. The difference was null in her mind.

"There you go again Shauna." Calem said, still calm as ever. "If she wants to show us her Pokémon, she will." He turned to the aforementioned. "Right?"

"Right," Serena said, mentally thanking Calem for being an understanding person.

"Okaaaaay," Shauna said in a long, defeated tone. She then mentioned to Serena, "If I were you I'd be careful when battling our Calem. He's the school's champ ya know."

"Champ?" Serena looked at Calem and back.

"Shauna…" Calem groaned.

Shauna shrugged. "What? You are the undefeated, undisputed, undeniably best Pokémon battler among us."

"It's true." Tierno spoke up from behind.

"His win-loss ratio is off the charts." Trevor piped up too.

"That good huh?" Serena commented and turned to Calem.

He shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

"It is to some of us real trainers." Someone said from behind. The group turned to see a boy in an all-white uniform stand over them with a long stare. His tied back hair was a silky white and he had piercing black eyes.

"Marcus," Calem muttered with a stare of his own.

"Calem," The stranger responded in kind.

The boy named Marcus cast a long glare at Serena who, to Calem's slight surprise, glared right back.

They stood there for a long while before Marcus finally said, "And you are?"

"A new student here," Serena deliberately didn't give out her name.

Marcus folded his arms. "You strong?"

Serena raised a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you're not strong than you shouldn't be talking to me. That's what it means." Marcus said harshly.

Calem stood up and intercepted his gaze on Serena. "If this is about earlier, the answer is still no."

Marcus brow furrowed even further than it already was. "Why won't you battle me? I know you're not weak and not a coward. You've proven that in our last battle. So why, I ask. Why won't you battle me?"

Every student in the room stopped their conversation and looked at the two. The air was thick with tensions.

"Because," Calem responded. "I don't like the way you battle."

Marcus shook his. "How one achieves victory is up to the individual." He clenched his fist. "Who gave you the right to pass judgment on others?" The argument was heating up by the second.

"You push your Pokémon to the brink too much. I saw that the last time we battled."

Marcus retorted. "And I nearly won that match too. Given another opportunity, I'd crush you and your team."

"Say what you want about me. I'm not having another battle with you. End of discussion." Calem said forcefully.

Marcus turned to leave. "You cannot deny this forever Calem. Soon or later, we will have are battle." Marcus left the room and everyone went back to talking amongst their friends, only this time they were talking about the rivalry between Calem and Marcus.

Shauna turned to Serena. "I bet you're just dying to know what's with Marcus."

Serena shrugged. "Maybe a little,"

"The rumor is he attended all the top trainer academies in the region and got kicked out of all of them because he battled too roughly. But don't let his arrogant attitude fool you, he's a wickedly powerful trainer whose been trying to beat Calem since the first day he got here."

"You'd be best off avoiding him." Calem sat back down in his seat and folded his arms. "I'd hate to see you get hurt."

_I'm not the one who will be hurt_… Serena thought seriously.

The teacher entered the room, Mr. Furo was his name according to Shauna, and had everyone sit down. He was middle aged with rusty brown hair, black glasses and wore a lab coat.

"Alrighty class, in a few months you all be graduating from our fine little school. Some of you will start journeys of your own and others will seek further education in a specific field of study, but before you can do any of that you'll need to pass these exams coming up."

Mostly everyone in the class groaned in unison.

"Hey, I want none of that," He said waving away their complaints. "These are important, as some of you may understand, so I want all of you to do your best. And don't forget, there's the Battle Field Trip for those who pass all of their exams."

He looked down his clipboard and cocked an eyebrow. "Well now, this is a treat." He faced the class with a grin. "Class, we have a new student amongst us~, oh how I love new students."

All eyes were suddenly on Serena, and all feeling in her face went out the window next to her.

"Come on up S-s-ser-…." Mr. Furo adjusted his glasses and looked at his clipboard. "Serena Grace Kigali, did I say it right?"

"Y-yeah…" And there went the fourth blasted lightning bolt. Did the teacher really need to say her full name in front of everyone? She can almost kiss this perfect day good bye now. Hopefully, just hopefully, no one paid any attention to news outside of Kalos Region.

She walked up to the front of the class slowly. "My name is Serena… nice to meet all of you…" She gave them a slight curtsy. A lot of the boys were gazing at her and a lot of the girls were glaring at her.

"Tell us about yourself Serena. Come now, don't be shy." Mr. Furo plopped down onto his rolling chair and propped his feet up on his desk like a true professional teacher.

"I was, um, born in Kanto and raised in Sinnoh. Now I'm here to finish school and hopefully start off on a journey." Telling everyone where she was from could do any harm right?

In the back of the class Trevor put his thumb and knuckle to his chin. "Her name is Serena Kigali and she was raised in Sinnoh…" He muttered to himself.

"You say something Trev?" Tierno whispered to him.

"Hmm, I think I might know Serena from somewhere." Trevor replied.

Shauna turned around in her seat to join the conversation. "Wait, is she famous or something?"

Trevor hunched his back and thought. "I don't know why but there's just something about that name that reminds me of something. I'll have to do some research."

"Hey, let us know how what you find." Shauna said.

"You guys aren't serious are you?" The three of them turned to Calem. "If she has something to say, she'll say it."

"Come on Calem, you saw it too. How she stood up to Marcus and everything. She's more than she appears to be." Shauna retorted.

Calem folded his arms and looked out the window. He had to admit it, he was very curious about his new neighbor.

"I'll see what I can research later." Trevor nodded…

* * *

The sun was as radiant as it was in the morning. During the lunch break all the students gathered in the courtyard to eat, chat, and most notably battle.

Serena found Calem and Tierno sitting on a bench set to the side.

"Hey Calem, Tierno, where's Shauna and Trevor." Serena asked as she sat down next to Calem.

"Trevor is in the library doing some research. As for Shauna…" He pointed ahead of them. "She's over there."

Where Calem was pointing was a battle field drawn into the ground with Shauna standing on one end and Marcus standing at the other.

"What is she doing?" Serena asked with alarm.

Calem folded his arms. "Something incredibly foolish,"

"We tried stopping her," Tierno said from other side of the bench. "But she's never the one to listen."

"So she's battling Marcus. Why?" Serena had to ask.

Calem sighed heavily. "Payback, for how he treated you earlier. Shauna may tease a lot but she's hard headed when it comes to standing up for her friends. That stubbornness is going to get her Pokémon hurt, badly."

Serena put on a stern look. "Then we'll stop the battle."

"We can't, Shauna would be hurt by us." Calem said.

"But there's no judge." Serena shot back. "If what you guys have said about Marcus is true, there's nothing to stop him from going all out on Shauna."

"I know that." Calem put his fist into the bench. "That's why I'll be the one to jump in if Marcus crosses the line." There was a cool yet tempered anger in Calem that Serena could sense. He really meant every word…

Shauna whipped out her Poké Ball and pointed it at Marcus. "Get ready! I'm not going to hold back one bit!"

Marcus took a Poké Ball from his pocket and held it. "Then I shall respond in kind." He had a cold, steely attitude that only added to the air of tensions. Most of the students around the courtyard were watching.

Shauna threw at her Poké Ball, "Time to shine, Chespin!" The small Grass-type Pokémon came out with a cute yet serious battle cry.

Marcus scoffed at the thing. "Big mistake. Devastate them, Onix!" Marcus's Poké Ball unleashed the massive Rock and Ground Type Pokémon. Its roar made many back away from the field.

Tierno spoke up. "Chespin's got a major type advantage over Onix. So this match could go in Shauna's favor."

Calem shook his head. "I know how he uses that Onix." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is Shauna thinking?" He muttered.

Shauna grinned confidently. "We'll move first, Chespin use Pin Missile!"

Chespin angled the quills on its head at Onix and sent hundreds of little missiles sailing towards Onix.

"Use your tail to block it!" Marcus ordered. Onix responded with its tail taking all the hits and not even affecting it. "Now counter with Iron Tail!"

Onix's tail shot forward with a powerful glow.

"Dodge it!" Shauna called. Chespin, small as it is, was a hard target to hit. It jumped and rolled away from the crushing blow that left a crater in the ground. "Give them your Stun Spore!"

Chespin closed its eyes as if to sneeze and cloud of yellow pollen came pouring out at Onix.

"Onix, use Sandstorm to blow it away!"

The Onix spun rapidly on its coiled tail which knocked up a massive sandstorm that engulfed the whole field.

Shauna cried out as the storm engulfed her too.

"Oh no!" Calem alarmed.

"Onix, use Double-edge!" Chespin never saw it coming. Onix blindsided it with a devastating move that threw the Pokémon halfway across the field. The Sandstorm subsided and Chespin was down.

Marcus shook his head. "Your Pokémon couldn't even take one hit. Chespin's strength perfectly reflects its trainer's skill."

Shauna bared her teeth at him. "We're not down yet. Chespin, surprise them with Seed Bomb!"

Chespin flipped up and blasted Onix with a powerful grass type move. The ball of green energy hit Onix directly in the face.

Shauna grinned. "Just when you think he's down, Chespin always get right back up!"

Chespin gave off a growl too. It was hurt, but still able to fight.

The smoke cleared and Marcus gave Shauna the most shocking look she's ever seen. "My Onix has something to say about that." He said through clenched teeth.

Onix looked like the Seed Bomb did little damage and it roared viciously at Chespin. For the first time in the battle, a sense of fear came from Chespin. Serena saw that the battle was about to end very badly.

"Dragon Breath Onix!" Marcus yelled.

Chespin had no time to dodge. The poor Pokémon took a direct hit from the fire like stream of energy from Onix's maw.

"Chespin!" Shauna cried out.

The tiny grass Pokémon hit the ground hard.

"Are you okay Chespin?" Shauna called out to it.

Chespin began to push itself up, a defiant look on its bruised face. But then–

"Onix, put it down with Iron Tail!"

Chespin took the full brunt of the attack and was cratered into the ground.

Everyone around gave off gasp as Shauna began to tear up.

"Maybe we'll give it one more hit. Just to make sure it stays down." Marcus said with a malevolent grin and raised an arm. "Onix–"

Calem snapped. "That's it!" He reached for a Poké Ball on his belt but was stopped when he saw Serena charge the battlefield with a Poké Ball of her own in hand.

"–use Iron Tail!"

Onix's tail came crashing down. Dust covered the field yet again. Everyone was silent and the long seconds dragged on.

Whispers of surprise immediately arose when the dust finally cleared.

"What?!" Marcus was the first to say what everyone else had on their minds.

Beneath Onix's tail, and standing in front of Chespin, were Serena and her Lucario. Lucario held up Onix's tail with one pawed hand while Serena had shielded Chespin with her own body.

Serena shot Marcus and glare that made even his Onix flinch.

"Lucario, Bullet Punch."

One impossibly fast punch was all that was needed for Lucario to send Onix falling backwards. The hulky Pokémon had been thrown off balance and landed next to Marcus. The shocked trainer had to throw up his arms to block the dust kicked up by Onix as it slid across the ground.

"C-C-Chespin!" Shauna ran over to Serena who was holding the battered Pokémon in her arms.

Serena gave Chespin back to its trainer. "It needs a Pokémon Center. Some of its injuries are serious."

Shauna cradled her Pokémon. "Thank you Serena." Tears were imminent. "B-but how did you–"

Serena sighed. "It's nothing. Just run to the Pokémon Center, and fast."

"Right!" Shauna ran into the school which had its own Pokémon Center built in. On the way she passed Trevor who immediately ran over to Calem.

"Calem! You're not going to believe this!" He skidded to a stop at Calem's side and panted heavily.

"Not now." Calem said, he still had his Poké Ball in hand but did nothing with it. He was still getting over how fast both Serena and Lucario had moved. He had blinked for only a second when the Iron Tail had hit. If Lucario hadn't stopped it, Serena would've been crushed underneath. But somehow, the Lucario did it with one hand!

"Yes now!" Trevor shot back. "Serena is no ordinary girl! She's a champion!"

"Champion?" Calem finally looked at Trevor.

Trevor nodded his head. "While in Sinnoh she won the Ruby Cup Tournament three years running starting at the age of nine! She's never been officially beaten in battle at any time! All the info was on the Global Net. Almost all the trainers in Sinnoh know her by a nickname!"

"No way…" Calem said breathlessly.

Meanwhile, Marcus and Serena locked gazes.

"I'm not going to begin on how you broke the rules here." Marcus began. "I'm not even going to complain on how you interfered in our match." He balled his fist up tight. "What I want to know is… how strong are you?"

Serena stood there boldly, no longer affected by all the stares she was receiving. Her mom was right, normal just wasn't her. She was something else entirely.

"I'm stronger than you'll ever become." She said, her dress was covered in a thin lair of dust and some parts of it were ripped by loose rocks from the last Iron Tail.

Marcus finally snapped. "Just who are you!"

"My friends know me as Serena, but any trainer who crosses my path knows me by one name only."

Trevor gulped. "She is…"

Serena stuck a thumb to her chest. "I am–"

"The Iron Maiden!" Serena declared to Marcus just as Trevor said it to Calem.

Marcus scoffed. "I don't care what people call you! The only thing I care about is being the strongest! And you're in my way of that! ONIX!"

Onix, despite being seriously injured, got up with a spur of rage. It roared loudly and beckoned to its master's call.

"Double-edge!"

Onix barreled towards Lucario, who stood not even five feet away from Serena.

"Serena, get out of there!" Calem called out.

It wasn't until the last possible second, as Onix was mere feet from Lucario, did Serena give an order.

"Extreme Speed,"

The Double-edge hit nothing but dirt. Lucario reappeared a distance away, holding Serena around the waist.

"That how she did it," Calem breathed a sigh of relief. "Her Pokémon used Extreme Speed to intercept Onix's Iron Tail from before."

"So fast! Wickedly fast!" Tierno exclaimed.

Trevor nervously adjusted his glasses. "The reason why they call her the Iron Maiden is because of her Steel-type Pokémon. They're said to be unlike any other."

Marcus glared in shock. "No matter how fast you are, you can't dodge this! Dragon Breath!"

Orange and purple flames came rushing at them. "We won't have to." Serena responded. "Lucario use Light Screen."

A mirror-like wall formed before Lucario's raised hands. The Dragon Breath broke upon it like ocean waves on rocks. The ground around them was scorched but Serena and Lucario remained unharmed.

"This is just not possible. My Onix is the strongest!" Marcus yelled.

"Onix is strong. You're just too weak to use its full potential." Serena said with a cold hard tone that reflected the hardness of her Pokémon's steel.

"I'm… weak…" Marcus's anger slipped away and was overcome by shock. "I-I-I can't be weak. No, I'm not!"

Serena raised a hand. "Lucario, show him what we mean."

Lucario howled with an earsplitting level of sound. The ground shook as a blue aura built up around it, making it look as if it were surrounded in a spiral of glimmering blue flames.

Serena is fully in sync with Lucario's aura and could feel it build up around him. There bond was one that has been forged over a lifetime of living together and working hard to became the absolute strongest. Their bond was something that was stronger steel or anything else. Every time they had ever battled, it was always together, as one.

"Now," Serena put both her hands forwards, palms flat. "Aura Sphere!"

Lucario mimicked Serena's jester and a pulsing ball of energy formed in front of it. The ball expanded till it was the size of Lucario itself before it released it. Onix never had a chance of avoiding it, the Aura Sphere never missed.

The force of Aura Sphere alone was enough to carry Onix over Marcus' head and land on the far end of the courtyard, leaving a long trail where Oni's tail had been dragged through the dirt. The Pokémon showed no signs of movement. It was done fighting, just like Serena.

"Marcus." Serena commanded the other trainer's attention.

Marcus looked at her with bulging eyes and a wipe open jaw.

"If you're not strong then you have no business talking to me or my friends." She said, sending his own words right back at him. "If you ever hurt my friends again…" She threw a piercing look at him that sent a paralyzing pulse through his body. "I'll destroy you!"

* * *

**So far this chapter is really just a test to see if I'll have enough support to get this story off the ground. I have a plethora of ideas ready to write out and everything. I am boring a few plot devices from the games, mainly the Mega Evolution factor, but other than that a few borrowed names most of this will turn out to be very original. **

**Fair warning: You'll find subjects in later chapters that Nintendo & Game Freak would have never ventured into. E.I.: Life/Death, Family Struggles, Intense Pokémon Battles and some End of the World plot (maybe).**

**If you think this is worth continuing, let me know. If you want to tell me how terrible of a job I'm doing and that I should go die, feel free to let me know and I'll probably just ignore you. If you're a grammar Nazis, I've got spellcheck. If you want internet cookies, click review ;)**

**Till next time fellow trainers,**

**Xander867**

**P.S. Right around when Serena and Lucario save the day is when you'll want to listen to some epic music like "Sorairo Days" fromTengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Trust me, it's really awesome.**


	2. The Next Step

**There will be a slight change from the previous chapter. "Gex", the character that Serena battled with previously, will now be named "Marcus". It has more zest to it and I do have more in mind for Marcus than just a plain antagonist, as you're about to see in this chapter. Thank you for your time.**

* * *

Apparently she couldn't go a single day without making a scene of herself in front of everyone. Serena didn't bother to go to class the next day, or the day after that. She was determined to lock herself in her room and stay there while she thought of what she had done.

In her mind, she knew she was right to keep Marcus from further injuring Shauna's Chespin. But afterwards, she went completely overkill on his Onix and more than likely injured it worse than Chespin.

Her emotions had ran hot that day, that's what ate at her the most…

A ring of the doorbell had snapped her out of her thoughts. She poked her head out of the covers of her bed to listen. Another chime came.

Her mother had left for the day to visit an old friend, leaving her with the house. Meaning she had to answer it.

Still in her pajamas, Serena dragged herself downstairs and to the front door. When she cracked the door open she was met by the harsh glow of an afternoon sun. When her eyes adjusted, she recognized who it was.

"Marcus," Serena said almost too harshly.

For a handful of seconds he stood there, hands in his pockets and avoiding eye contact.

"I'm…" He finally began to speak. "I'm sorry."

Serena cocked a brow. "You're apologizing?"

Another silence ensued before he gulped and said. "Yes…" In a very defeated tone.

Genuine surprise came to her as she recognized that this wasn't the same Marcus she had battled earlier. By the sunken look in his eyes, she could see the experience had broken him more than she had ever imagined.

"I'll go now," Marcus turned and began to walk away with heavy steps.

Part of her wanted the boy to just keep walking, but an even greater part of her told her take action.

"Hold on," She called out, opening the door all the way and stepping out onto the patio.

Marcus half turned and had a confused look on his face. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

Serena froze and remembered she was still wearing her pink pajamas that were wrinkled from a night of constant turning in her sleep. Red founds its way to her cheeks.

"No, it's nothing." Serena said with a dismissive wave, trying to cool herself down. "I just need to know, really, is just why are you apologizing?"

Now turned fully back to her he responded, "The way I acted the other day. I attacked your Pokémon without considering your safety. And then there was that other girls Chespin I injured…" He turned to walk away again. "I just… needed some closure."

"I should apologize too, you know."

Marcus halted. "What?"

Serena began to tussle with her loose hair. "What I said to you, and what I did to your Onix, that wasn't okay. I tend to let my emotions get the better of me sometimes. So I think I should at least say… I'm sorry."

A third silence rolled by. Neither of them moved or said a word as they stood there like statues. Any tensions that had existed during their battle were no longer in existence.

Marcus finally put on a small but sincere smile. "Don't apologize, please. You taught me an important lessons, I'm not as strong as I thought I was. I made a complete fool of myself the other day so I deserved what I got."

Serena shook her head. "It was still wrong of me." A thought then crossed her mind. "Come inside,"

A few white hairs stood up on Marcus' head. "What?" He said again, stunned.

Serena toyed with her hair some more. "I owe you for what I did." She felt the red coming back for round two. "I think I owe you some training."

"You want to train me? After what happened?" He shook his head. "Even if you forgot about that, what would Calem and his friends think about it?"

"Consider it our way of burying the hatchet. You want to be strong, I get that. So I'll help you battle better with your Pokémon."

"I don't know…"

Serena then did something really gutsy. She walked over and grabbed Marcus by the wrist. "You're not the only one who wants some closure. C'mon."

Marcus didn't dare complain as he was dragged into the house. Serena's grasp felt like having iron shackles slapped onto him.

"Wait here," She said, leaving him in the family room and running upstairs.

Not exactly knowing what to do, Marcus thought it would be okay to look around. He saw plenty of family pictures lying about. Most of them were of just Serena and an older woman whom he assumed to be her mother.

One picture though stood out amongst the rest. It sat on the mantle of the fireplace and had a framed picture of a younger Serena and her Lucario. In the picture she was holding a huge trophy that was almost as big as she was. She looked happy, with a huge smile on her lips and an even happier mother by her side.

Marcus sighed. He wished he had that, someone by his side rather than a trophy in hand.

"That was the first Ruby Cup Tournament I had ever won."

Marcus turned in mild surprise. "Is it really?"

Serena nodded. "I was nine at the time."

"Incredible…"

Serena had changed into a black martial arts garb with no sleeves and a blue sash wrapped tightly around her waist. Her hair was neatly combed and braided behind her head and she had three Poké Balls attached to her sash.

"What are staring at? It's just my training attire." She said with slight embarrassment.

"I'm not starring." He said, jerking his head away to hide a slight redness. But then said, "It does look… practical on you."

"Is that the closest thing I'll ever get to a compliment from you?"

"Yes," Marcus said simply.

Serena rolled her eyes. "This way Mister Sunshine,"

They walked a path through some brush that led to the lakefront behind Serena's home. The land was flat, save for a few boulders and weathered tree logs. The water was like crystal and reflected the beating sun perfectly.

"Since we're both skipping classes, we should have the whole day to ourselves." Serena said, unclipping a Poké Ball.

Marcus gulped. "Are you going to use Lucario?"

Serena shook her head. "No, sadly despite what I think, Lucario still might hold something against you for how you acted."

Marcus looked at the ground. "I wouldn't blame him."

"Her." Serena corrected with a smile. "Lucario is a girl."

Marcus' eyes widened. "I've heard Lucarios are a rare species but female Lucarios are even rarer."

Serena shrugged. "I guess I was lucky she found me. But that's a story for later. Now," She whirled her Poké Ball high into the air. "Time to spar, Aggron!"

A titan of steel appeared in the air and impacted the ground with enough force to put Marcus off his feet.

"W–what is that thing?" He said with eyes and mouth wide open

Serena smiled again. "This is my Aggron. He may look all big and scary but on the inside he's the gentlest Pokémon you'll ever meet." She put a hand on Aggron's bulky steel armored arm. "Isn't that right?"

Aggron picked up Serena and hugged her like a little kid would hug a teddy bear. Serena looked like her head was about to pop off though.

"Okay, okay, gentle Aggron! I said gentle!" Serena said as she struggled free of the crushing grasp. Aggron didn't know any better, it was just so big. It was smaller than an Onix and yet the impact suggested it was even heavier than one.

After catching her breath, Serena turned to Marcus. "Okay, send out a Pokémon."

Marcus nodded. "Right, if it's going to be Aggron then…" He reached for a Poké Ball.

"Wait," Serena interrupted. "Before you choose, consider what you see before you. Aggron's massive body houses a lot of power, and you should assume there's more power in him than Onix. What big Pokémon have in strength, though, they lack in speed." She folded her arms as a mentor would when addressing a pupil. "If I were you, I'd forgo any thought of trying to overpower your opponent. There are other ways of winning."

How strange, Marcus lived his whole life trying to conquer his enemies through brute force alone. He couldn't imagine winning in any other way.

But still, he believed her words had validity to them. She was a Champion after all.

"In that case," Marcus put back Onix's Poké Ball and took out his one other. "Let's go Noibat!"

A tiny bat like dragon-type appeared. It was a jittery Pokémon at that as it flew around and around Marcus excitedly.

"Hey Noibat, cut it out!" Marcus tried to grab hold of it but it flew out of his grasp every time. "Noibat!" Marcus jumped to catch it but it flew high and out of his reach. Marcus ended up falling onto the grass with a thump.

He sighed and sat up. "This is why I don't like using Noibat for battles. It hardly listens to me."

"Hmm," Serena put a finger to her chin as she studied the little Pokémon doing aerial flips high above. "Right then, Aggron."

Aggron nodded and picked up Serena with one arm. It then, astonishingly, threw Serena at Noibat a few dozen feet in the air. The bat dragon-type never saw her coming until she was right on top of him. She wrapped both arms around the startled Pokémon and came falling back to the ground.

"Are you crazy!?" Marcus ran to try to catch her and Noibat but a charging Aggron blew right past him and caught the both of them.

Serena laughed wildly as her Aggron cradled her as she held onto Noibat. "I'm not crazy. I just have a lot of trust in my Pokémon." She ordered Aggron to let her down and she walked over to a still baffled Marcus. "I knew Aggron would catch me without asking. Just like how I knew Lucario was going to stop your Onix if I protected Shauna's Chespin." She said as she scratched Noibat's fluffy head. It purred happily at this.

Marcus let out a long sigh. "I can't believe you have that kind of faith in your Pokémon. You could've gotten yourself seriously hurt." He said, trying to not make it sound like he was scolding her.

"But I wasn't. All thanks to Aggron here." The burly Pokémon behind her made a sound of approval. "And Noibat here trust you a lot too. I can tell." Serena opened her arms and Noibat swooped out and perched itself on top of Marcus' head. The trainer fought off the urge to get it off him.

Noibat smiled happily as it made a nest out of Marcus' hair. "This one never listens to me. How can you think it trusts me?" He asked.

Serena shrugged. "I can guess you could say I can sense these sorts of things about people and Pokémon. Now then," She traveled backwards to put some distance between them. "We can start battling. Are you ready Aggron?"

The steel titan of a Pokémon stomped a foot into the dirt and roared, shaking everything within the vicinity.

"Just wait a second!" Marcus said after nearly falling over. "I already said Noibat never listens to me."

Serena gave him a mischievous smile. "That's because not all Pokémon respond to the same commands. Noibat likes to play, so make this sound like a game to it instead of a battle."

"You really are crazy…" Noibat then flew off his head and went out to face Aggron.

Serena thrust a fist into the air with enthusiasm and then pointed it at Noibat. "Okay! Aggron, use Flash Cannon!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Marcus exclaimed but it was too late. Aggron charged up a ball of compressed light and was about to fire it. "Oh fine then! Noibat, let's play a game!" The Pokémon's large ears instantly perked with interest. "We'll play the dodge game. Don't let any of those attacks hit you and you win!" Noibat chirped in acknowledgement.

"Fire!" Serna yelled out and Aggron released a torrent of light at Noibat. The nimble Pokémon took off faster than Marcus ever expected it to move and avoided the Flash Cannon.

"Nice job Noibat." Marcus said.

The other trainer nodded in approval. "Good dodge," She put on another smirk. "Let's see you dodge it again. Aggron, use Flash Cannon at rapid speed!"

Aggron charged up another Flash Cannon but this time only putting a fraction of its power into it. It then fired it much faster than both Marcus and Noibat were expecting. Noibat narrowly dodged it but had to dodge again as Aggron fired off another mini Flash Cannon, and then another and another.

Some fifty shots of Flash Cannon were fired in a minute's worth of time. Noibat managed to dodge all of them but its wings were beating slower as the tuckered out Pokémon panted heavily.

"I'm impressed," Serena said. "I was honestly expecting at least one of Aggron's shots to hit. Noibat most certainly has the strength needed for the next step. The only thing holding it back is your connection with it."

"What is exactly the next step?" Marcus questioned.

Serena smiled. "Evolution of course,"

"You mean Noibat can evolve? Are you serious?"

She nodded. "Yes, but it won't do so until your build a stronger connection with it."

Marcus looked at Noibat in astonishment and wondered. How did it carry on? It went far beyond his expectations already and yet it still fought on with such determination. Had he been blind to his Pokémon loyalty this whole time?

Marcus spoke. "A strong connection, huh?" He clenched his fist. "Maybe our connection is already strong and we're on the brink of something even greater. What do you think Noibat?"

The dragon-type chirped in agreement, a determined look set into both trainer and Pokémon's eyes.

"It's our turn to play Noibat! Let's hit the target with Razor Wind!"

Noibat responded immediately, sending gusts of compressed wind at Aggron. Aggron simply stood there a let the Razor Wind hit it over and over again. It didn't flinch even once.

"That's the way," Serena said. "Hit us with everything you have."

"In that case," He made a sweeping motion with his arm. "Noibat, use Air Slash with everything you got!"

Noibat unleashed everything it had left in a series of concentrated air blades that fell down upon Aggron like an array of swords. Like before, Aggron took the damage head on.

"Keep it up!" Marcus exclaimed and Noibat kept the pressure on.

From this distance, Serena could clearly see a bond being reformed and sharpened. Noibat's and Marcus' auras were more in sync now, giving them both stronger wills in battle. If Aggron wasn't as strong as it was, they could've won the battle by now.

But, Aggron has yet to even tap into its full might.

"You're doing a great job Marcus." Serena said. "So don't take this the wrong way. Aggron, use Iron Head!"

While still under Noibat's assault, Aggron's armored skull began to glow brightly.

"Back to the dodge game Noibat! Fly high into the air!" Marcus called out and Noibat obeyed.

Serena grinned. "Nice try. Aggron, follow it!"

Aggron crouched down as far as it could on its bulky legs and extended its tail outwards. It then slammed its tail into the ground just as it pushed off its legs. Aggron actually soared upwards, like a giant steel missile.

Noibat was caught on the Iron Head and took its full damage. Aggron came down first with a humongous bang. Noibat was suddenly caught by Marcus who dived out to catch it in his arms.

"I got you," Marcus said as he slid across the dirt. His white tunic and pants may have been dirtied but he cared more about his Pokémon than those. "You were amazing Noibat." He said, cradling the exhausted Pokémon. "Next we'll win the game for sure." He said with an earnest smile.

"Are you starting to see now how important a bond is with your Pokémon?" Serena asked, offering a hand to help the other up.

Marcus nodded. "I am. It's incredible that I didn't notice this before." He face suddenly went grim. "I guess my quest to being the strongest trainer had blinded me in a way."

"Possibly, yes." She agreed. "But strength isn't all there is to be the strongest. Just remember that."

"If only the rest of my family could understand that." Marcus said with a gloom look. "In my family, a fully evolved dragon-type Pokémon is considered a status symbol. That's why I caught Noibat as my first Pokémon, so that I could make it evolve and finally show everyone that I wasn't the weak runt of the family."

Serena sensed a whole swirl of emotions within Marcus. There was far more to him then she could have ever thought during their first battle. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I was wrong the other day. You are strong Marcus, remember that too and believe in your Pokémon."

He nodded. "I will, with all my heat."

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Marcus had stepped out the door. He couldn't get over how incredibly strong both Lucario and Aggron were. Not to mention she still had one other Pokémon he hasn't seen yet. If being close to her Pokémon is a part of the reason Serena was so strong, then he'll do the same. Onix and Noibat weren't tools to him anymore, they were his friends. This was something he should've recognized a long time ago.

Just as he opened the gate to Serena's front yard and walked into the street he immediately stopped when he heard someone call out, "Marcus!"

He spun on his heel to see Calem charge down the street at him with Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor right behind him. They all came to a stop right next to him.

"Just what are you doing here?" Calem asked interrogatively. "Were you just battling Serena?"

Marcus threw him a look. "Yes, I was."

Calem clenched his fist. "Even after the other day you still wanted more trouble."

Shauna perked up. "By the looks of it, Serena gave him a thrashing!" She said as she took note of his dirt stained clothes.

Marcus sighed and looked away. "If you're so interested why don't you go ask her yourselves?" He turned and took a few steps down the street before remembering something. "Oh yeah," He looked back. "I apologize for your Chespin. I was out of line."

Shauna was taken by surprise. "Huh? You're apologizing?"

"Is that wrong of me to do?" Marcus retorted, thinking of how Serena had a similar reaction. Was he perceived this negatively by everyone? He'd have to work on that also.

"Um, no, I guess." Shauna said.

Marcus didn't say another word and left the group.

Tierno spoke up. "What was that all about?"

Calem watched Marcus walk down the street and he couldn't help but think there was something different about him than before. "I'm not sure but let's find out."

Serena was in the middle of undressing out of her martial arts garb when the door rang again. With a sigh she threw her clothes back on, wondering if Marcus had forgotten something.

She swung the door open and was immediately greeted by a pulverizing hug from Shauna. "Serena! Oh thank goodness you're alright!" She, Calem, Tierno and Trevor were all here.

Serena struggled to breathe as it was like being hugged by Aggron all again. "Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?"

Shauna finally let go and Calem explained. "We just saw Marcus leaving here. So naturally we were concerned."

"He just came over to apologize, that's all. And then, well, one thing led to another and we ended up having a battle."

"That Marcus," Calem began. "He just doesn't know when to give up."

"I wasn't like that at all." Serena said. "I wanted to make him see there was more to training Pokémon then brute strength." Folding her arms across her chest, she asked, "By the way, why are all of you here?"

Calem began. "Because we–"

"Because we were missing you!" Shauna blurted out. "And we wanted to know why you weren't coming to school."

"Oh," Serena felt embarrassed. "I just had thought I could use some time off."

"You're missing all the work." Trevor said. "Mr. Furo did just say the exams were coming up."

"Not to mention you're the school's hero now." Tierno commented. "Everybody thinks you're crazy strong and they all wanna battle you now."

"Oh great," Serena said with a slump. "That's exactly what I wanted to avoid."

"Don't worry about it. They'll have to get through us first if they ever want to challenge you." Calem said.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked.

The four friends smiled to each other. "We made it known to everyone that you're our friend." Tierno said.

"And that anyone who challenged you would have to challenge the rest of us first." Trevor said.

This took Serena aback. "Why would you put yourselves in the same boat as me? Don't you know what you're getting into?"

"We're all friends silly." Shauna proclaimed. "So of course we got your back."

"You guys…" Serena sensed that they were sincere and meant every word. That brought a smile to her face. "You guys are the best!"

"You better believe it." Shauna said with a thumbs-up gesture.

Suddenly one of the Poké Balls on Serena's sash burst open and Lucario came out. She put her pawed hands on her hips and howled lightly.

Serena laughed. "Lucario says she will watch all of our backs too."

"She?" Calem said surprised. "Lucario is a female?"

Serena laughed again. "You know, Marcus had the same reaction."

* * *

Later that night…

"Here Noibat, eat up." Marcus set a bowl of Oran berries, Noibat's favorite, before it.

The little dragon wasted no time in devouring the dish. Once it was done it flew over to Marcus as he sat on the large velvet red coach next to a large burning fireplace in the living room of his empty mansion. It was empty because the rest of his family resided in a different home on the other side of Kalos region. He had been sent to live here after being expelled from the last prestigious academy his father had thrust him into. It was a sort of exile.

The funny thing was he got thrown out of all those academies on purpose. He wanted to show the rest of his condescending family that he didn't want to be like the rest of them, whose lives centered on fortune and power. For a while, all he wanted was to be stronger than them to prove he could decide his own destiny. But now…

He looked down at Noibat and patted its head. "None of that matters anymore." He said looking into its eyes. "Can do anything as long as we're together,"

Noibat squeaked happily and licked Marcus' face.

"Geez, you smell like berries now." Marcus said. "I think we'll play another game before turning in for the night."

Noibat flew up in down in excitement.

And then, something began to happen. Noibat's body began to glow wondrously with a light brighter than the burning sun.

Marcus couldn't believe it. "This is…"

* * *

**Talk about doing a one-eighty. I just couldn't leave Marcus as a generic bully stereotype. Making him a part of the story will make things a bit more interesting in my opinion. What do you think? Is the new Marcus a good or bad addition to the story? **

**I'm still on the fence on whether I should carry on with this story or not. If I do commit to this, I would be putting out at least two chapters a week on a fixed schedule. So if you really want to see this story updated, let me know!**

**Till next time fellow trainers,  
Xander867**


	3. New Possibilities

One month and some days later…

* * *

The battlefield was set and the two battlers went at it with full determination.

"Alright Pansage, use Double Slap!" A young first year student by the name of Joey sent his Pokémon head long at his opponents Pokémon.

Calem acknowledged the younger's effort but his Pokémon would never fall to such an attack. "Dodge it Absol, then counter with Sky Upper Cut!"

Calem's Pokémon, the calm and collective Absol, shifted right to avoid the little Pansage's Double Slap. Then, with a furious blow from its glowing head horn, it sent the Pansage rocketing upwards.

"Bring it back down with Aerial Ace!" Calem said.

Joey panicked. "Try to dodge it Pansage!" But it was no use. Pansage had no maneuverability while airborne.

Absol jumped and caught Pansage on its horn which delivered a super-effective Aerial Ace. Pansage landed on its back with a _thump_ and showed no sign of getting back up.

"Looks like that's it," Calem said.

Joey slumped over with a sigh. "Ah, I almost got you too." He returned an exhausted Pansage to its Poké Ball. "Good match Calem."

Calem nodded with a smile. "Good match." He returned his Absol to its respective Poké Ball and went over to sit down on a bench set to the far side of the school's courtyard.

"How many does that make?" Tierno asked as he wolfed down his lunch like a hungry Snorlax.

Trevor spoke up without looking away from his portable computer. "Fifty-seven battles in total with fifty-seven wins and zero defeats." He said as he continued to type in data.

"Gee, thanks for keeping count." Calem said with a bit of sarcasm. "It's not a competition, really."

Shauna rolled her eyes as she ate her lunch too. "Oh come on Calem, it's obvious you're training up for the Lumiose Cup." She took a big bite out of her rice cake. "You want to be number one at the tournament and then have your first battle with Serena."

Calem dipped his head a little. "Read my like a book, Shauna." He looked over to the other side of courtyard where another battle was coming to a conclusion. "I'm not the only one who's been hard at work."…

* * *

A large plume of dust was kicked up from the last move of the match and when it finally settled, Marcus' opponent's Pokémon was down for the count.

"Oh no, Mareep!" Jodie, another first year student and twin sister to Joey, said with a defeated look on her face.

On Marcus' side of the field, a mighty Noivern spread its wings and hollered in victory.

"Sorry about that," Marcus said honestly. "Noivern may play rough but it doesn't mean it." He returned Noivern to its Poké Ball. "You did well though."

Jodie returned her Mareep as well. "Uh… thanks," She said not so sure if she should be thanking him of all people.

Marcus left with a nod and went to sit by himself at a bench of his own on the other side of the courtyard…

* * *

"He seems sooooo different now." Shauna said, munching into another rice cake. "Do you think Serena beat him so hard that he actually rethought his whole life?" Shauna said sarcastically with a mouthful of food.

"Possibly," Calem commented. "He's stopped making challenges towards me entirely and he even battles differently now." He shrugged. "So what you say might not be far from the truth."

Tierno chuckled. "That's Serena for ya. Speaking of whom." He pointed towards where Marcus was sitting. The group saw Serena walk over and sit down next to Marcus. From her bag Serena took out two lunches, one for her and the other for Marcus.

Shauna grinned mischievous. "Hey guys, you ever think something's going on between those two?"

"_Going on_?" Trevor asked. "I feel like I'm missing the context here."

Shauna gave the younger a playful elbow. "You know, they've been seeing each other a lot lately."

Calem rolled his eyes. "It's not really our business,"

Shauna shot him a grin. "Jealous?"

Calem shook his head. "I'm not bothered by it. If Serena doesn't mind being around Marcus all the time then it a telltale sign that he really has changed."

"Not to mention they've been training together a lot." Tierno added. "I bet ya that's why Marcus' Noibat evolved into a Noivern."

"Yeah, but Serena has been training all of us." Shauna said. "I bet they have a thing for each other."

"A _thing_?" Trevor asked.

Shauna giggled at the younger's obliviousness. "I'll explain it later."…

* * *

"Thank you for the lunch today." Marcus said as he and Serena traveled the forest road back to Viniville Town.

Serena smiled. "It was last night's leftovers. I thought you might like something different from all the five-star cooking your chef forces you to eat."

"Five-star food isn't that bad." He said with hands in his pockets and head leaning back to watch a spring sun break through the forest canopy. "You should come try it sometime."

A hint of a blush came to Serena. "Are you asking me… to have dinner with you?"

The realization of what his comment sounded like hit Marcus like a freight train. "Uhh…" He looked away, trying to find distraction in the bushes to the side. "I think it would be nice to have some company for dinner…" Oh how he wished a wild Pokémon would appear and break the awkward tension.

Serena's thoughts were just the same. "We… we could do that. Maybe after the Lumiose Cup, while we're in the city, we could go somewhere nice and… fancy…" She said as she pressed her books tightly against her chest.

"A fine restaurant sounds good." Marcus said and then found relief when he saw Serena's house coming up. "I mean… I'd be more than happy to take you to one. If you' want."

A few seconds of silence made the scene all the more suspenseful for the two of them

When they came to a stop just outside of her house, Serena finally got the nerve to kick her shyness to the curb and say, "I'd like that…" The words were like a breath of fresh air to her. "I'd like that a lot."

"Alright," He said, obviously relieved. "After the tournament then,"

They bid each other silent goodbyes with nervous smiles. Serena brushed passed a snoozing Rhyhorn and went inside.

She let out the loudest breath of air and wished that she could talk to people as good she could battle them.

"Serena? Are you home darling? Come into the living room, someone's here to see you." Serena's mother called out from the adjacent room.

_Who could that be?_ She wondered as she kicked off her shoes and entered the living room.

Her mother was there sitting on the coach with Fletchling on her shoulder and another woman was looking at some of the pictures on the fireplace.

Serena's heart nearly exploded out of her chest when she realized who it was. "Master Cynthia!"

In two bounds she had crossed the room and delivered a tackle of a hug into the Sinnoh League Champion.

The elder woman returned the hug with a warm embrace. "My, my, how you've grown my student,"

They separated and they down on the coach and chair set in the room.

"I can't believe you're here in Kalos," Serena began. "I thought you'd be too busy running the Sinnoh League to visit."

Cynthia gave her a dismissive wave. "Even a Pokémon League Champion has some vacation time. Between seeing my favorite student and touring the wonders of Kalos region, how could I resist?"

"Does that mean you'll be staying in Kalos for a while?" The younger asked eagerly.

Serena's mother, Grace, piped up. "She'd better be after the news I just got from her."

"What news?" Serena asked.

Cynthia smiled and folded her arms. "When word spread that I would be visiting Kalos, the mayor of Lumiose City offered me the Seat of Honor at the upcoming Lumiose Cup. What that means is that I'll be challenging whoever places first in the tournament to an exhibition battle."

"Really…" Serena expression was gleeful and yet hollow underneath.

Cynthia sensed her student's troubles. "I can tell you're not entirely pleased by this."

Serena blushed in embarrassment. "No, no it's not that I'm upset or anything. I'm just a little conflicted."

Grace gave Serena the million year old 'mother's look.' "What's on your mind darling?"

Serena sighed. "I wasn't planning on entering the tournament, instead I wanted to watch my friends compete, whom I've helped train over the past month."

Cynthia nodded. "And you didn't want to compete against them in the tournament because they'll undoubtedly loose against you."

She nodded too. "I just wanted to give them a chance. But now that you've come all this way to Kalos, I feel obligated to enter."

"Don't think like that dear." Grace said. "There nothing wrong with entering a little tournament like the Lumiose Cup."

"Your mother is right." Cynthia said. "And if you've been training them like I've trained you, then they'll be more than ready for the rest of the competition."

"Trust me," Serena said with a smirk. "I dare not train them as hard as you had trained me. They'd be begging to stop before it ever began."

They shared a small laugh.

"How about it dear," Grace asked. "Is the Iron Maiden up for another tournament?"

Serena thought long and hard on it. By now she was used to the attention that comes with winning battles. She didn't need another trophy to gather dust in a trophy case, what she wanted was for her friends to be prepared for their journeys when they embark on them. Maybe battling with them one last time at the Lumiose Cup will assure her that she's helped all that she can.

"I'll do it," She said with deadest determination. "I'll enter the Lumiose Cup. And when I win," She shot her teacher a confident grin. "You and I are going to battle with everything we've got."

Cynthia returned the grin in-kind. "Everything we've got, hmm?" She dug into her black coat pocket's and retrieved a shiny black band. "In that case, you should have this."

Serena took the black band and studied it. It was the right size for her to wear on her wrist and had a stone embedded into it that had a strange energy coming from it that made her aura sense peek.

"What is this?" She asked with immense curiosity.

"It's called the Mega Ring." Cynthia began. "An old guru gave it to me and said I should give it to a trainer of, as he put, 'great purity and strength' so naturally I thought of you. He claimed that the energy generated by the Mega Stone set in it could unlock certain Pokémon's full potential. Consider it a graduation gift."

"Fascinating, thank you," She snapped the Mega Ring onto her left wrist. A perfect fit. "How is it supposed to unlock a Pokémon's full potential exactly?"

Cynthia shrugged with upturned palms. "Beats me,"

Serena jaw would've hit the floor if it wasn't attached to her skull. "Are you serious?" She said in surprise.

Cynthia gave a small laugh and scratched the back of her head. "The guru wasn't exactly forth coming with any additional information. All he said was that certain Pokémon can experience an evolution beyond what they naturally evolve into. He called it Mega Evolution and said that only trainers like you and I could ever achieve it." She unzipped her coat a little to show Serena a chained necklace with a Mega Stone attached to it that was similar to Serena's.

"This is the Mega Chain." She said, showing it to a bedazzled Serena. "That old guru gave me a Mega Stone of my own too and he expects the both of us to figure out Mega Evolution on our own."

"Sounds like an interesting man, this guru. I'd like to meet him sometime." Serena said.

"On your journey perhaps," Grace said.

A _pop_ came from Serena's Poké Ball and Lucario suddenly appeared. "Hey you," She protested. "How many times have I told you not to come bursting out like that.

Lucario ignored her and went over to Cynthia's side. "She can't help it." Cynthia said. "We haven't seen each other in a while, that's all. You two are spitting images of each other you know." She said as she scratched Lucario's sweet spot just underneath her chin. The Pokémon enjoyed every second of it.

"Mom tells us that all the time." Serena commented with a role of the eye…

* * *

**Really short filler chapter this week. I'm gearing things up for the next two chapters which will be pretty jam-packed with all the awesomeness you can expect from this story. Obviously Mega Evolution is around the corner and I'm also hinting at a little fluff between Marcus and Serena. Nothing serious for now but just some lightheartedness to add to the story. Tell me if you approve or not.**

**Till next time fellow trainers,**

**Xander867 **


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